In the first two decades of the 20th century, a cross-sector coalition constructed 2,000 parks and playgrounds in urban cities – laying the groundwork for youth sport as a tool of nation-building. The next wave of growth was propelled by New Deal investments that got more than 10,000 athletic and recreational facilities built. The third wave was aided by the Land and Water Conservation Act which between 1965 and 1980 got more than 40,000 facilities built. Now, the White House and Congress are mulling whether to spend trillions on infrastructure to help get more people back to work. If that bill were to include recreation infrastructure (new or revamped parks, fields, gyms, rinks, etc., plus trails and bike lanes), what would we want? And how to support the maintenance and programs that come with more places to play?

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